Site of the Battle to Defend the Anti-Japanese Tunnels by the Militia of Changxing Village

　　Site of the Battle to Defend the Anti-Japanese Tunnels by the Militia of Changxing Village (First Batch of Provincial-Level Protected Sites)

　　Era: War of Resistance Against Japan

　　Location: Changxing Village, Dongjingling Township, Huguan County

　　During the War of Resistance Against Japan, Changxing Village was located at the intersection of enemy, puppet, and anti-communist forces and served as a frontline position for the anti-Japanese government led by the Communist Party. Under the Party’s leadership, to sustain the resistance against the enemy and strike and eliminate them more effectively, in the winter of 1943, villagers took advantage of the village's mountainous terrain and existing underground coal mining “old tunnels.” In the caves on the southwestern hill of the village, they built "militia combat tunnels" and connected them via an entrance from the village, modifying the old tunnels to create a more than four-li-long zigzag network of tunnels and caves with three exits (in the village, on South Hill, and on West Hill) and one ventilation shaft (another vertical shaft). A watchtower was also constructed above the cave entrance in the village. The construction of these tunnels and the watchtower turned the site into a stronghold under the leadership of the village Party branch, enabling the people to persist in resisting the enemy and defending against Japanese “mopping-up” operations. The militia and local cadres and masses of Changxing Village held out in these tunnels for a remarkable four days and nights in what became the nationally and regionally famed “Battle to Defend the Changxing Tunnels.”

　　 A key cultural relic protection unit of Shanxi Province. Located in Changxing Village, about 40 kilometers south of Huguan County in Shanxi Province. These tunnels were originally adapted from old coal mines, stretching 2,000 meters in length with varying widths. Inside, there were ammunition storage rooms, grain storage areas, and temporary offices, along with three air vents and one concealed exit. Above the tunnel entrance stands an 8-meter-high brick-and-stone watchtower measuring 4 meters in both length and width. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, 17 new structures were built here to commemorate the site, including exhibition halls, offices, meeting rooms, and dormitories. Surrounded by rolling hills and shaded by lush pines and locust trees, the scenery is captivating.

　　 In 1939, the Japanese army occupied Huguan County, while the 27th Army controlled the southern part of the county. Changxing Village became a frontline position in our resistance efforts. The village’s militia combat team frequently launched attacks against the Japanese, leading to sharp and intense conflict between the two sides. The Japanese harbored deep hatred for the Changxing militia and sought revenge. On the early morning of July 21 of the lunar calendar in 1944, a small Japanese squad set out from Lingchuan County, leading the Second Division of the Puppet Shanxi Anti-Communist Army and the turncoat Fifth Squadron of the Nationalist Security Forces—totaling over 500 men—to surround Changxing Village. Upon receiving intelligence, Xu Shunhai, the village committee director, and Zhang Xiaobao, the militia captain, led 17 core militiamen to intercept the enemy outside the village and protect the civilians as they safely retreated into the underground tunnels—originally adapted from old coal mines in 1943. After failing to find anyone in the village, the enemy grew even more frenzied. They resorted to brutal tactics such as releasing poison gas through the air vents and smoking out the civilians in an attempt to annihilate them. With no external reinforcements and limited supplies inside, the anti-Japanese militia fought the Japanese to the death for four days and nights until, on the 25th, the Huguan County Martial Committee, Independent Battalion, and district militia teams, together with militias from surrounding villages, drove back the Japanese and rescued the civilians from the tunnels.

　　 The glorious achievement of the Changxing militia holding out for four days and nights earned praise from higher-level Party committees. At the “Masses’ Meeting of the Taihang Region” held in November 1944 by the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Border Region Taihang Sub-region, Xu Shunhai and Zhang Xiaobao were awarded the honorable title of “First-Class Anti-Enemy Heroes of the Core Region” and given “Anti-Enemy Hero” medals.

　　 After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Xu Shunhai and Zhang Xiaobao attended the National Militia Representatives Conference in 1951 and 1960 respectively, where they were received by central leaders including Chairman Mao, Premier Zhou Enlai, and Commander Zhu De, and each was presented with a semi-automatic rifle. Some of the weapons they used are still on display at the Military Museum of the Chinese Revolution. This battle has become a classic case in the history of China’s militia warfare. On May 24, 1965, the Shanxi Provincial People’s Government designated it as one of the first batch of provincial-level key cultural relic protection units, and in 1987, special funds were allocated to comprehensively renovate the watchtower and related buildings.